title: Do labour market status transitions predict changes in psychological well-being?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to establish the direction of causality in the relationship between labour market status and psychological well-being by investigating how transitions between secure employment, insecure employment, unemployment, permanent sickness and other economic inactivity predict changes in psychological well-being over a 16-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used data from the British Household Panel Survey (1991-2007). Psychological well-being was measured using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Fixed effects models were utilised to investigate how transitions between labour market statuses predicted GHQ-12 score, adjusting for current labour market status and a range of covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After taking account of the contemporaneous effects of joblessness on psychological well-being, and the impact of a range of confounding factors, experiencing a transition from employment to joblessness was significantly predictive of poorer psychological well-being. Transitions into employment were not found to have equal and opposite effects: the positive effects of moving into work from unemployment were not as large as the negative effects of job loss. Transitions between secure and insecure employment did not independently predict changes in psychological well-being.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A causal relationship between labour market status and psychological well-being is indicated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. ellen.flint@lshtm.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Flint
authors.forename: Mel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bartley
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shelton
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sacker
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EMPLOYMENT; LONGITUDINAL STUDIES; MENTAL HEALTH; UNEMPLOYMENT